There was panic in a market area of Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district today when a major fire broke out in a commercial building, gutting over 20 shops. There were no casualties, police said.

There was panic in a market area of Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district on early Wednesday when a major fire broke out in a commercial building, gutting over 20 shops. There were no casualties, police said.

The fire broke out in Das Complex of Gopal Katra area, about 300 km from Lucknow. The building houses shops of automotive lubricants.

"Fire-fighting officials have managed to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings," district police chief BS Srivastava told reporters.

As many as 15 fire tenders have been rushed to douse the fire that engulfed the ground and the first floor of the complex.

"The exact reason of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but it appears the incident took place because of an electric short-circuit in the complex," he said.